We are now into the start of the summer season. According to weather lore by June 10th plant growth is at the same point evey year no matter if it’s a cold start to the growing season or a warm start. Here in Grand Rapids the average mean temperature over the summer season (June, July, August) is 70.6° the warmest was 74.7° in 1921 and the coldest was 65.5° in 1992. Last year was a warm 72.7° In an average summer Grand Rapids only has 9 days of 90° or warmer (on average Michigan is one of the cooler locations in the summer time) The most 90-degree days in G.R. was 37 in 1988, followed by 35 in 1894, 34 in 1931, 32 in 2012, 31 in 1921, 29 in 1901, 28 in 1934 and 27 in 1898. We have reached 100 degrees a total of 32 times in G.R. 100-degree days by decade: 1890s = 5, 1900s = 0, 1910s = 7, 1920s = 1, 1930s = 12, 1940s = 2, 1950s = 1, 1960s = 1, 1970s = 0, 1980s = 1, 1990s = 0, 2000s = 0, 2010s = 2.
On the cold side, Grand Rapids has been as cold as 32° on June 4th 1945. A 33° was recorded on June 11th 1972. 35° June 2nd 1956. 36° June 5th 1945, June 4th 1946,11th 1980 June 1st 1993. 37° June 1st 1897, June 2nd 1910, June 6th 1958, June 2nd 1966, June 9th 1969, 38° June 12th 1903, June 23rd 1918, June 3 1947, June 2nd 1964, June 8th 1998, June 2nd 2003, 39° June 22nd 1992, August 30th 1976. With Julys record low of 41° on July 6th 1983 tell us that Grand Rapids can get rather cold even in the summer time.
A closer look at the warmest summer of 1921. June the coldest day was on the 4th with high of 68° and a cool low of 41° the hottest day was on the 26th with a high of 93° there were 9 days of 90° or better the mean for the month was 73.4° July was a hot one with the hottest temperature reaching 100 on the 5th there were 20 days of 90 or better that July, the coldest low that July was a warm (for Michigan) 58 on July 31st The mean for July 1921 in Grand Rapids was 79.7° for the warmest month on record here in GR. Remember this was before the days of air. August seen a pattern change to somewhat cooler temperatures with a mean of 70.6° that month only seen one 90° and the low for the month was 49° there was one more 90° in September for a total of 31 90° days in that summer. Mookie would have had a field day that summer.
Now for the cold summer of 1992. While June of 1992 was a cold month Grand Rapids did have one hot day that month when on the 17th the temperature shot up to 95° on that day there was a line of thunderstorms that rolled thru mid day so it could have maybe gotten warmer without that line. (I missed that day as I was up at the Sault that day where it was much cooler)the official low for the month was 39° on June 22nd and for the month the mean here in GR was 64.3° July started out with a 2 day “heat wave” when the temperatures did reach highs of 91° on the 1st and 88° on the 2nd July 2nd was the last day of July 1992 with above average temperatures as the rest of the month ever day was below average. (Rocky would have had a field day that summer) the coldest low for the month was 47° and the coldest maximum temperature was 60° on July 23rd the mean for the month was 67.2° (not the coldest that was 2009) August 1992 was also a cold summer month with the record coldest August mean of 65.0° we did have several days that reached the upper 80’s with the warmest being 88° on the 25th the coldest nigh was 43° on the 20th the coldest maximum was 62° on the 27th I will now take a look at the coldest July in recorded history at Grand Rapids and that was July 2009. The mean temperature at Grand Rapids in July of 2009 was only 67.1° it was a month of no extremes while the average high in Grand Rapids in July is around 83° that July the average high was only 77° (more like that of Marquette) and the average low was 57° (also more like that of Marquette) the biggest thing of that July was the warmest it had gotten that month was only 84° (remember the average high here in July is about 83°) That summer both June and August were warmer than July.
SlimJim
2.88″ of rain overnight and this morning. Several roads flooded. I even saw a vehicle stranded in the road at the end of our neighborhood with water up to his bumper. Come to find out, it was a high schooler. Needless to say, he was late to his final exams.
Below normal continues!
Rock n roll will never die!
Thanks to all for all the condolences for the passing of my mother – the funeral will be on Tuesday – if you care to read the obit it is at : https://www.winkelfuneralhome.com/mary-r-gingrich/ We each have our own personal journey in life, though short as it may seem, we try to leave a legacy of some sort for those of future generations. Those of the Greatest Generation are becoming few in the world – the legacy they imparted is slowing melting away. This is why I have written often of the ability to create things from raw materials, grow gardens… Read more »
Yes we can all learn a lot from our elders!
Get ready for many days of below normal temps! The pattern keeps rocking! Get your furnace revved up, Spring coats handy, blankets near by, etc, etc! What an incredible cool pattern!
More rain also love it… INDY!!
Just a few sprinkles so far but much more rain is on the way. The rain today is moving in from the SE not your typical set in our area. Today looks like it going to be a wet one. The current temperature here at my house is 64 with cloudy skies.
Slim